A Moral Critique of the Book of Exodus

Last week I noted that the Book of Exodus is problematic. And that it promotes a sense of entitlement which byproducts include: nationalism, colonialism, slavery, unfair trade, exploitation, genocide, and religious wars.

No matter which angle we treat the Text from, we are still faced with these problems. Hence Prior argues that,

[a]ny association of God with the destruction of people must be subjected to an ethical analysis. (p. 2).

This is one of many challenges facing religion today, hence the need for critical studies. Sadly, no critical studies are handled in churches or seminaries. In fact the latter is designed to ‘inseminate’ (hence the term seminary, meaning to plant a seed) students with traditional doctrines.

As a result we have a faith which fails miserable in addressing the challenges facing humanity.

So, how do we reconcile the message of universal love and kindness taught and preached by Jesus as recorded in the New Testament, when we are presented with an angry God that will not let go until he sees the brutal death and blood of his son as a ‘sacrifice’ or ‘atonement’.

Even if we go with the idea that a transition took place from the Old to the New Testament

how do we then reconcile the fact that even with the death of Jesus as an ‘atonement’ for sin we are still faced with the possibility of punishment here on earth (by God or/and the Devil) for non-compliance, and eternal judgement in hell fire after death?

These doctrines are grossly contradictory. It will seem that if humanity relied on Christianity it is destined to doom.

To this end there are issues with the idea of the Bible being ‘infallible’, because the writings and doctrines it presents are largely disjointed, as such, they offer contradictory angles on major moral and social issues, which breeds fundamentalism.

These Texts were written by people trying to make sense of their world through the lenses of their religious framework. Some of their ideas are useful, others pose major problems, especially on human rights and morality.

Hence new coverts to Christianity were called to faith almost as a crash course amidst persecution, owing to the complexity of trying to teach Judaism as foundations, before moving to the revisions of doctrines carried out by Jesus.

In similar vein the notion that Christianity is cast in stone is dangerous, it leaves no room for advancement – which is clearly what Jesus was doing with similar doctrines in Judaism.

Hence the call today for revision of Christian doctrines, hence the call for theological education through the instrument of tertiary institutions, not seminaries, especially for those called to lead churches and parachurch organisations.

Join us at 3pm today for the series: From Order to Chaos: a study on Exodus